Short Science Fiction Story Review Brian W Aldiss Panel Game
Spoiler alerts – 1955
A superb and very strong condemnation of TV’s addictive power from the early years of TV ownership and broadcasting.
Here, TV effectively rules all aspects of life. It hypnotizes and brainwashes viewers into buying products – not watching TV is illegal and virtually impossible. The TV watches the viewer back. No one works. Machines do all. No one can do anything but watch TV and shop. There are no neighbours or friends to visit – everything is done through TV.
A family flicks through the channels trying to decide what to watch next when something terribly unexpected and unprecedented happens - someone knocks on the front door. Their lives are about to change forever, or is it just a cruel TV prank with which to entertain other viewers?
Searingly topical nearly sixty years from being written.
Arthur Chappell
Image Credit » Photo My TV set, taken by me.
Comments
maxeen wrote on January 29, 2015, 1:54 PM
He was well in advance and you might have just coaxed me into being a reader of his.
BodieMor wrote on January 31, 2015, 1:25 AM
He had (still has?) the same kind of foresight as Heinlein...